#Chapter 3: Black Crescent Moon

Tara’s POV

Sharp eyes of a wolf gazed into mine. The statue was massive, or rather the totem was massive. A large pillar containing the carving of a wolf towered over me, with thousands of smaller symbols etched around the sides of the totem in some foreign language.

The echo of a howl carried in the breeze.

A tiny hand squeezing mine brought me back to reality. I looked down at my daughter. She was wearing an adorable unicorn jacket with the hood that made her hair all puffy afterwards, and my hand squeezed back.

The crowded stairs leading up to the entrance reminded me of the steps of a courthouse, and the inside of the hospital was no better.

At least a thousand people milled about the lobby. A mixture of patients and overworked staff scrambled across the floor.

Thankfully, Abby’s medical evaluation had been scheduled over the phone, and the receptionist had kindly explained the check-in requirements.

I guided Abby across the crowded floor, when she pulled back on my hand. Abby began tugging on my coat while bouncing up and down.

“Mommy, mommy, mommy, look!” My daughter exclaimed, pointing at the other side of the lobby. “Over there, mommy, over there!”

Abby was practically vibrated with excitement. I glanced across the room. My eyes locked onto a stranger and my stomach twisted.

An exposed tattoo rested on the back of his neck. The black lines of the crescent moon made another crack in the breaking dam of my heart, and some memories slipped through the fold.

The stranger was now the infuriatingly handsome and heartbreaking Kade. The man was walking away from me without a hint of hesitation. I was unable to grasp his vanishing figure; my memories made of fog and rain.

“Do you see him?” Asked a small voice. “Mommy, what’s wrong? Mommy?”

 I could hear words, but their meaning could not be parsed together. Time had come to a screeching halt. My entire focus resided on that tattoo, a black moon disappearing and reappearing as the bodies in the crowd merged and shifted.

 The tattoo was hidden with a turning head, and the reveal of his face released me from my torment. My heart began beating again, and a sigh of relief escaped my gasping lungs. The tattoo was a coincidence.

This strange man did not have Kade’s eyes of burning gold but that of the deep sea. Kade had usually worn a cold expression that softened at my touch, but this man wore a friendly countenance and a bright, joyous smile.

The stranger froze when his gaze met mine. A large smile spread across his face. The sunlight pouring in from the glass windows made the man look like a beautiful angel, but then he sent me a playful wink.

I reacted with a stern scowl, but I had been the one staring at him. Only in Hanesburg for a few days and people were already getting the wrong impression of me.

Abby was staring eagerly at the stranger, hope rising in her eyes. I realized with quiet horror that the man was headed straight for us.

“Come on sweetheart, we need to get checked in.” I said nervously.

I bolted for the front desk, hoping to escape an awkward interaction. A warm voice called out from behind us.

“Ma’am, wait one moment.”

The man was drawing unwanted attention. I bit the inside of my cheek. There was no other choice but to face the consequences of my own actions.

I turned to look at my incoming doom. The man realized we had stopped and slowed down his quick pace. The stranger adjusted his long overcoat and smoothed down his ruffled hair.

The man joked, “For a moment I thought you wouldn’t turn back.”

“Well?” I questioned, raising my eyebrows.

“Forgive me,” drawled the stranger. “I’m Soren Hawthorne, you might have heard of me?”

“Your name doesn’t ring any bells.”

Hawthorne laughed, “Perhaps that’s for the best. In the habit of making a good first impression, might I know your name and the name of the little lady beside you?”

I responded, “I don’t make a habit of giving out my name to a stranger.”

“Understandable.” Hawthorne remarked.

A little narcissistic to assume some random passerby would know your name, especially in such a large city. Hawthorne tried to hide his inner thoughts, but his darkened eyes were roaming my figure with poorly hidden greed.

 Great. A narcissist and a playboy.

My displeasure rose at the obvious behavior. Some men really had no shame. My daughter was right beside me, usually an indicator of a taken woman.

Speaking of my daughter. Abby had decided this was the time to give me the scare of my life. One moment, her tiny hand was neatly tucked into mine and the next moment, she had broken free.

The short distance between her and the stranger was closed within a split second. Abby tugged on his overcoat and raised her arms, chubby little hands making grabby motions. I did not even have the chance to scold my daughter or snatch her back.

Hawthorne merely swooped down and scooped up my daughter with ease. My entire body tensed. Being a single mother meant losing the ability to freely give out trust, especially to strangers. A simple mistake could end terribly for my baby.  

The protective surge faded with the expression on Hawthorne’s face. The hunger in his eyes had been replaced with a serene sense of peace. He cradled Abby in the way I had always dreamed her father would.

My daughter touched the back of his neck. The tattoo. Her head titled in innocent curiosity.

“Are you, my daddy?” She asked.

“Abby.” I exclaimed in horror.

“But mommy,” Abby whined, “he has the black moon, just like daddy did.”